1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a remote monitoring system for an uninterruptible power supply that carries out a remote monitoring maintenance for a power facility including an uninterruptible power supply.
2. Description of Related Art
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing an arrangement of a conventional remote monitoring apparatus, which is shown in, for example, the Japanese Patent Publication (unexamined) No. Hei 3-186050, for remote monitoring an uninterruptible power supply for an elevator.
In the drawing, reference numeral 1 designates an area, for example, a power supply room in a building. Numeral 2 designates an uninterruptible power supply installed in the power supply room of the building. Numeral 3 designates a remote monitoring apparatus provided for monitoring the uninterruptible power supply 2. Numeral 4 designates a dedicated line for a telephone set. Numeral 5 designates a telephone line system. Numeral 6 designates a center apparatus for remote monitoring the uninterruptible power supply via the telephone line system 5, and this center apparatus 6 is provided in order to monitor the uninterruptible power supply installed in the power supply room of the building.
Numerals 31 to 35 show devices and circuits disposed within the remote monitoring apparatus 3. Numeral 31 designates a modem, numeral 32 designates an incoming call detection circuit, and numeral 33 designates a CPU. Numeral 34 designates an inter-transmission I/F, and numeral 35 designates an inter-apparatus transmission I/F. Numeral 7 designates a dedicated transmission line for providing a connection between the inter-apparatus transmission I/Fs 35, and this dedicated transmission line 7 is used for controlling each remote monitoring apparatus 3 provided for the purpose of carrying out the remote monitoring.
Now, operation of the above conventional remote monitoring apparatus is described.
In the center apparatus 6, the remote monitoring is carried out in a regular or irregular timing on the remote monitoring apparatus 3 having an outgoing and incoming detection functions through the same telephone lines 4 extending from the telephone line system 5 via the telephone line system 5.
The remote monitoring apparatus 3 includes line connecting controlling relay contacts respectively on the same telephone lines 4 so that each of the remote monitoring apparatuses may be arranged in parallel. Further, the remote monitoring apparatus 3 includes the inter-apparatus transmission I/F for controlling communication conditions of each remote monitoring apparatus and the transmission I/F for delivering a monitoring transmission with an apparatus subject to the remote monitoring. When the incoming call detection circuit 32 of the remote monitoring apparatus 3a detects any incoming signal from the center apparatus 6, the CPU33 controls the communication between the center apparatus 6 and the uninterruptible power supply 2a so that only the remote monitoring apparatus 3a connected to the telephone line through a line connection control relay setting is authorized to obtain a call-outgoing right and an incoming monitoring right. Thus, the remote monitoring on the power facility including the uninterruptible power supply is carried out.
On the other hand, when there is any incoming call from the center apparatus 6 to the other remote monitoring apparatus 3b, the remote monitoring is carried out in the following manner. That is, the CPU 33 provides a control to inform the remote monitoring apparatus 3b of communication conditions via a dedicated transmission line 7, thus providing a transfer control. Further, at the time of making any transmission request to any other remote control monitoring apparatus, the CPU 33 controls the relay contact points for controlling the lines provided in each remote control monitoring apparatus through the dedicated transmission line, whereby the call-outgoing rights and the incoming monitoring rights of the remote control monitoring apparatus 3a are abandoned. Meanwhile, the CPU 33 provides a further control for granting a current outgoing right and an incoming monitoring right to the remote control monitoring apparatus 3b, thereby controlling the remote monitoring communication between the uninterruptible power supply 2b and the center apparatus 6 through the inter-transmission I/F 34 of the remote monitoring apparatus 3b having the current outgoing right and the incoming monitoring right. Thus, the remote monitoring communication of the power facility including the uninterruptible power supply is carried out.
In the conventional remote monitoring system operated via a communication line such as telephone line for a power facility including any interruptible power supply, a simple remote monitoring on situations of the power facility including a plurality of uninterruptible power supplies is carried out with the use of, e.g., any center apparatus installed by any company conducting a remote maintenance service.
Generally, an object of carrying out the remote monitoring is to confirm a root cause yielding any abnormality or trouble on the power facility, upon occurring the abnormality or trouble in the power facility, and detect at an early stage a specific apparatus where such abnormality or trouble occurs. A further object is to eliminate the causes of the abnormality or trouble, and then promptly restore the power facility to a sound state. For that purpose, it is not always sufficient to carry out alone a remote monitoring on the situation of the apparatus. But construction management as well as operation management of the power facility supplied by the manufacturer (supplier) to the customer (user) should be also sufficiently followed and understood. In this sense, regularly or daily inspecting operating conditions of the power facility and preparing a maintenance record so as to understand or grasp the normal running conditions of the power facility will be essential. However, in the conventional remote monitoring system for uninterruptible power facility, a problem exists in that such operating management has not been always sufficiently carried out.
The present invention has been made to solve the above-discussed problem and has an object of obtaining a remote monitoring system for uninterruptible power facility capable of achieving smooth information communication can be realized mutually between a remote maintenance service provider and a customer, and of being promptly restored to a sound state.
To accomplish the foregoing object, in a remote monitoring system for uninterruptible power facility according to this invention, remote maintenance service is carried out by a remote maintenance service provider based on a contract between the mentioned remote maintenance service provider and a customer, and in which the remote monitoring system for uninterruptible power supply has a screen for allowing a particular customer to input customer identification information about the particular customer who possesses a power facility including an uninterruptible power supply and intends to receive the remote maintenance service.
Further, the remote monitoring system for uninterruptible power supply has a screen for allowing the mentioned particular customer to view a particular remote maintenance record file capable of being transmitted by communication line and in which a maintenance information about the power facility including the uninterruptible power supply, being a subject matter of receiving an order of the remote maintenance service, is described.
Furthermore, the remote monitoring system for uninterruptible power supply has a screen for allowing the mentioned particular customer to transmit an order using the communication line based on the mentioned particular remote maintenance record file.
As a result, it becomes possible to achieve appropriately a remote monitoring system for uninterruptible power facility in which an order for the remote maintenance using the communication line can be properly received, and a smooth information communication mutually between the remote maintenance service provider and the customer.
The foregoing and other object, features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent in the course of the following detailed description of the present invention when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.